The SDK includes documentation and code samples for Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 and for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, which builds upon the SharePoint Foundation 2010 infrastructure. The documentation includes detailed descriptions of the technologies that SharePoint Server 2010 and SharePoint Foundation 2010 provide for developers, reference documentation for the server and client object models, and step-by-step procedures for using and programming with these technologies and object models. This SDK also includes best practices and setup guidance that will help you get started with your own custom applications that build and extend upon the SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 platforms.

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 provides enterprise-scale capabilities to meet business-critical needs such as managing content and business processes. SharePoint Foundation 2010 is built on top of Internet Information Services (IIS) and the Microsoft ASP.NET Framework. For a description of this platform and its capabilities, see Conceptual Overview of SharePoint Foundation. SharePoint Server 2010 relies on SharePoint Foundation 2010 and provides a consistent framework for lists and libraries, site administration, and site customization. Any features that are available in SharePoint Foundation 2010 are also available in SharePoint Server 2010. For descriptions of extensible features areas and links to related documentation, see SharePoint Server 2010 General Reference.

Figure 1 shows the key components of the development platform provided by SharePoint 2010.